Stone Brick

Metals: Metals have the highest recycling rates among materials recovered from C&D sites. Good markets for ferrous metals, as well as copper and brass, have existed for years. The Steel Recycling Institute estimates the recycling rate for C&D steel is about 85 percent.

A 1997 survey of North American aggregate producers by Vanderbilt University and C&D Recycling found that the markets for waste rebar removed from the concrete rubble appear to have increased from 1994 to 1997.

Concrete: The primary use of crushed concrete is as a replacement for road-base gravel. Other applications include use as an aggregate in asphalt or concrete. Concrete recycling is practiced in most areas of the country, and is most prevalent in areas where landfill tipping fees are high or aggregate is in short supply.

Based on data collected for the State of Washington from waste concrete processors and recyclers, it has been estimated that 1.4 to 1.5 million tons (1.3 to 1.4 million tonnes) of waste concrete in that state are recovered, crushed, and recycled annually.

Wood: Wood waste produced at construction sites generally has better potential for reuse than wood from demolition sites due to the ease of separating the materials. Wood processing facilities have sprung up in many areas of the United States in recent years, particularly in areas with high landfill costs.

Asphalt Shingles: According to the National Association of Home Builders, about two-thirds of the U.S. residential roofing market is made up of asphalt shingles. Common uses for recycled roofing asphalt include hot mix asphalt for paving, cold mix asphalt paving product, and new roofing materials.

For now the challenge of meeting specifications for paving and roofing materials poses a limit to the growth of these applications. Preconsumer manufacturing scrap (approximately one million tons (0.9 million tonnes) per year) is currently being used in hot mix asphalt.

Drywall (Sheetrock, Gypsum): Drywall is recycled by first separating the paper backing, which is recycled into new paper backing, and then remixing the gypsum and using it in the manufacture of new drywall. Recovered drywall is also used as animal bedding, cat litter, and as a soil amendment.

by Adam Davis

With $100 billion in new construction each year in the United States, and $126 billion in renovations, the recovery of materials from construction and demolition (C&D) has important economic and environmental implications.

To the extent that the debris from construction and demolition can be reused or recycled rather than thrown away, demand for virgin resources is reduced, the embedded energy in these materials is recaptured, and the need for increasingly limited landfill space is reduced.
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by ArchitectureWeek

Traditional clay brick still plays an important, expressive role in modern architecture, and to highlight a few North American examples of its application, the Brick Industry Association (BIA) announced in July 2006 the results of its annual Brick in Architecture awards.

In the words of BIA president Dick Jennison, “The winning projects demonstrate the versatility and enduring appeal of clay brick in today’s construction. Brick is, and always has been, a superior cladding material with unlimited design potential.”

One of the seven “best-in-class” award recipients, in the educational category, is the Oak Park Elementary School (2005) in Corpus Christi, Texas, by Richter Architects. The design reflects, in its texture and terra cotta color, the Hispanic origins of its regional culture.
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A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction and sized to be laid with one hand using mortar.